A tiny bit on the 2012 Mercedes Benz C180 cgi

I bought a brand new car right at the very end of 2012. I suppose to some it does not make sense to buy a car right at the end of the year but in my case, the car was being sold on a discount to clear 2012 stocks and therefore the discount alone covers whatever depreciation that most of you people think about. I certainly do not.

I bought a 2012 Mercedes Benz C-class.  A C180 CGI with a 1,796cc engine, 156bhp and 250Nm torque running through a 7-speed automatic gearbox. Me, a motorhead who writes for several automotive websites ends up buying a Mercedes. What does that tell you folks out there? It tells you people that Mercedes Benz makes splendid cars. I suppose the same thought is shared with notable journalists out there like Jeremy Clarkson (who owns a CLK63 Black and a classic 600) or Chris Harris who at one time or the other reviews a whole lot of Mercedes Benz AMGs and loves them to bits for his video reviews on Chris Harris On Cars/ Drive.

Of course, since I live in Malaysia and the prices for more exotic Mercedes Benzes are stratospheric, I had to settle for an entry level one that is still costing me a smidgen over Two Hundred and Fourteen Thousand Ringgits. This would be the same if I lived in Singapore, as COE would make the same C180 CGI cost over Two Hundred Thousand Singapore Dollars. Tough luck. If this were the UK, the same car may cost about Twenty Five Thousand Pounds. I'll just have to make do with this then as beggars can't be choosers.

Oh yes, this is one surprising Mercedes Benz. The car is brisk to drive, the handling is precise and overall the refinement impeccable. Build quality is typically Mercedes Benz and it looks like they're (almost) back to the days where their cars felt like they were made from a solid block of steel. Everything you touch is nicely weighted and balanced. This little bit of extra tactility is what separates a proper premium executive sedan from the rest. A Toyota Camry may offer you the same amount of goodies, but the weighting and feel is still all wrong. An Audi gives you more flash with the same quality feel but an Audi feels a little lighter to the touch (which some like). The interior of the new BMW F30 3 series comes close but is still no cigar in my opinion.

The BMW F30 may now have overtaken the C-class in the handling stakes (the previous E90 wasn't as good as this W204 in my opinion), but this C-class still feels like its steering is sharp and nicely weighted, and goes where it is pointed. It also corners quite flatly too in my opinion.

But what actually moved me to buy this car (other than the fact that it was being sold on a discount) was the badge. That three pointed star is an institution. Especially with the traditional grille and the upright hood ornament. Targeting the road you're on as you drive. The way it sits on the bonnet makes one feel good, which is why Rolls Royces and Bentleys have one too. Much like the bonnet scoop on a Subaru Impreza. Yes it's a completely  different thing, but I suppose I do like something slightly blocking my forward view in a car and that three pointed star does it for me.